This Greek Panzanella Salad is a delicious all-in-one meal. Filled with fresh summer veggies, protein, and bursting with Mediterranean flavors, this is one recipe you must make!
This Greek Panzella Salad comes from my friend Stacie Billis of OneHungryMama, who is also one of my favorite YouTubers!
If you don’t know Stacie, definitely check her out. You’ll find quick tips and easy family recipes along with her new cookbook called, Make it Easy with 120 Mix and Match Recipes to Cook from Scratch. Let me tell you, it’s one of those smart books that gives you store-bought shortcuts just when you need them. And today’s recipe is from her cookbook.
A simple dressing, fresh garden tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, a little feta… wow. These are the type of Mediterranean flavors I grew up with in Spain and one of the many reasons I love to make this Greek Panzanella Salad. Plus, it’s easy to make and is beautiful on the dinner table.
The taste of cucumbers and tomatoes together brings back many childhood memories in my grandmother’s kitchen. We ate a tomato-cucumber salad nearly every day during the summer. For this recipe, I got to use some fresh vegetables from my mom’s garden, since that’s where we take photos and shoot videos like this one.
Cooking for our families can be a lot easier than it seems when you take some of our shortcuts, ditch the mom-guilt, and start thinking “happy thoughts” when the food gets to the table. In our podcast together, we talk about how to simplify cooking for our families and what it’s really like at our house.
I also interviewed Stacy in one of my recent podcasts (available on iTunes) and we chatted about feeding our families as friends typically do.
So back to this salad. You can grill chicken right then and there or use up leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken. Don’t have any? Need to make this vegetarian? Omit it. It’s that simple.
Since there is no lettuce in this salad, you can mix it all together without the toasted bread, and it will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Don’t have time to toast bread? Use store-bought croutons, just enjoy the delicious tomato-cucumber combo.
Don’t forget to check out Stacie’s youtube channel for more recipes from her new book and my Salmon Baked in Foil from my new book, The Best Grain-Free Family Meals on the Planet.
What meals and flavors remind you of your childhood?
PrintGreek Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 3 tabelspoons olive oil
- 4 cups cubed French or Italian bread, but into 1” pieces (from about ½ large loaf, though this will vary greatly depending on exact size)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 pound chicken tenders or breast cut into strips
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges
- 2 cups sliced cucumber (from about 1 large English cucumber)
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion (from about ½ small onion)
- 4 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (see Make it Easier)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ to ¾ cup Everyday Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Toast the bread: heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the bread in a single layer and sprinkle with the ⅛ teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Toast until dark golden brown all around, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes or so. Transfer the toasted bread to a plate and set aside.
- Cook chicken: carefully wipe out the hot pan and return to stove, this time over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and garlic. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and, once the oil and garlic are fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds, add chicken and cook, untouched, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side browns and the chicken is cooked through, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to cool to the touch before cutting into bite sized pieces.
- In the meantime, place the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil in a large serving bowl.
- Add the chopped chicken and cubed bread to the bowl as well and toss with dressing. Add the feta cheese and slightly toss one more time. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or leave at room temperature and sever within the hour.
Greek Panzanella Salad
This easy to make vinaigrette goes great for your everyday salads.
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons minced shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients inside a mason jar and shake to combine. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Jasmine
This looks so great!! Where can I find the recipe for your everyday vinaigrette?
Laura Fuentes
Oh.my.goodness! It’s now in the post. Enjoy!!
Casey
This may be a silly question, but is the “Everyday Vinaigrette” a store bought product or something you made? There are no instructions for how to make that part.
Laura Fuentes
the everyday Vinaigrette is a recipe in the cookbook. Updating teh recipe now so it includes it. Thanks!
Casey
Thank you so much for the update with the vinaigrette! Making this for dinner tonight!!!
Tiffany
My daughter loves croutons! She could eat them with everything. This salad looks amazing.
Daria F.
This salad looks delicious! Fresh & colorful
Emily Foster
I love Mediterranean food! So delicious.
Amanda F.
I am not a huge fan of chicken but there are so many possibilities for different toppings! I would love to try this with grilled shrimp.
Shannon Miller
This post came right on time for me! I’m hosting a big summer party this weekend and was still looking for something refreshing without it being the typical salad. Thanks!
Josie Patterson
I LOVE feta cheese in a salad. Makes everything so much better
Callie Z.
Yummy! Lookds super refreshing. I’m a huge fan of croutons but I love the homemade kind the best!
Cindy
If this salad doesn’t scream summer I don’t know what does. Perfect for BBQ.
Judy T.
This salad looks amazing! So simple and delicious!